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“She’s never gone?”
“Nope.”
“Have you seen it?” he asks, studying me.
“Twice,” I reply as we head across the street when the light turns green. “I went with my parents and brothers when I was about thirteen. We drove to New York and spent a weekend in the city. Besides sightseeing, Mom and I saw a couple shows, and the boys and Dad went to a baseball game.” I look up at him. “I went again two years ago, when I took a master coloring class in Manhattan. While I was there, I did the whole tourist thing. It was only two days, but I saw every sight Manhattan has to offer, even if it was only from the top of one of the sightseeing buses.”
“If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?” he asks, stopping and turning me toward him. He wraps a hand around my hip while peering down at me.
“Anywhere in the world?”
“Anywhere in the world.” He nods, and I think about it for a moment.
There are a million places I want to see in the world, but only one of them really sticks out. “Rome,” I blurt out, then shake my head. “I’ve always wanted to see the Colosseum and the Sistine Chapel, but I don’t want to just go to Rome. I want to drink wine watching the sunset in Florence and walk the streets in Milan. I want to shop and eat until I can’t eat any more, and then do it all again the next day.”
“What about Egypt?” he asks.
“Egypt?”
“That would be my pick,” he says with a small smile.
“Really?” I study him. “I never pegged you for the kind of guy who would be interested in going to Egypt.”
“People are still trying to figure out how they were able to create some of the things they created. As a builder myself, the architecture fascinates me.”
“I can see that.” I smile, and he leans down, pressing his mouth against mine.
“Tyler.” He turns his head, and I do the same. I watch a good-looking guy with a beanie on his head and a plaid shirt with a vest, jeans, and boots approach us on the sidewalk. “Shit, man! I thought that was you. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Eli,” Tyler says as he lets my waist go to accept a one-armed hug from him. “Good to see you, man.”
“Please tell me you’re moving back,” Eli prompts with a hopeful look in his eyes.
Tyler glances down at me quickly before answering. “Sorry, man. I’m just in town for the holiday with Leah.”
“Leah?” Eli finally notices me standing under Tyler’s arm, and he blinks rapidly. “Shit, nice to meet you. Sorry. I . . . I didn’t mean to interrupt. I just . . .”
“It’s okay.” I laugh. “Nice to meet you, Eli.”
I hold out my hand, and he takes it. “You too.” He looks from me to Tyler. “I see why you’re not coming home.”
“She’s part of it, but you know the other part.” Tyler tightens his hold on me.
“Yeah.” Eli shoves his hands into his pockets. “Things haven’t been the same since you left. Deck is an even bigger dick than he was before, and half of us are thinking about walking away. Putting up with his shit isn’t worth the paycheck most of the time.”
“Sorry to hear that, man,” Tyler mutters, and Eli nods. “It’s a long ways away, but if you ever think about moving, give me a call. I have a couple spots open, and I could use the help.”
“Really?” Eli asks.
“For sure.”
“Thanks,” Eli says before he shakes his head. “I should let you go. I’m guessing you’re here to eat.” He nods to the side, and I look over and notice we’re standing in front of a restaurant with dark-tinted windows that are painted with large Christmas wreaths made up of hamburgers.
“We are.” Tyler nods.
Eli smiles. “Some of us are hanging out at Bark’s down the block. You should stop by. I’m sure the guys would like to see you.”
“We might do that.”
“All right, have a good night, man.” He looks at me. “It was nice meeting you, Leah.”
“You too, Eli,” I say.
He turns and starts to walk off down the sidewalk, but Tyler stops him by calling his name, and he turns his head our way. “My number hasn’t changed. Call if you need to.”
“Got it.” Eli lifts his chin, and Tyler does the same before Eli disappears down the crowded sidewalk.
“They miss you,” I state, and Tyler shrugs. “Do you miss working with them?”
“I miss the guys, but I don’t miss the bullshit I had to put up with on a daily basis working for Deck,” he explains.
I nod in understanding, then ask, “Do you miss it here?”
“Yes and no. Why?”
“Just curious if you’d want to move back here one day,” I say, and his expression softens.
